Beverage containers



May 28, 1968 H. M. CHANG BEVERAGE CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 6, 1967 INVENTOR. A f/109x17. (IVA/V6 2 @i May 28, 1968 H. M. CHANG BEVERAGE CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1967 FIG]- F IG.9

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ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,385,561 BEVERAGE CONTAINERS Henry M. Chang, 2451 Webb Ave, Bronx, N.Y. 10468 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 475,212,

July 27, 1965. This application June 6, 1967, Ser. No. 655,971

8 Claims. (Cl. 229-7) ABSTRACT (IF THE DISQLOSURE A beverage container including a container body of whatever cross-sectional configuration and a comple- ,mentary cover therefor, the cover having a tongue out out by slits spaced equidistantly from a straight line which extends through opposite edges of the cover and passes through the midpoint of the cover; the slits extend in one direction through one of said opposite edges and in the opposite direction toward or up to the midportion of the cover and thereby provide a tongue separated from the cover except for its base. The underside of the cover has a sealing strip of tearable material extending under the tongue and the slits, and a loop under the rear end of the tongue serves to carry a drinking straw. The cover is sealed to the rim of the container body, preferably to a circumferential flange on the rim.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my applica tion Ser. No. 475,212, filed July 27, 1965, now abandoned, entitled Beverage Containers.

The present invention relates to cartons or containers of whatever cross-sectional conformation, and more particularly to beverage containers. They may, for example, have cross-sections which are polygonal (including square, rectangular), circular or elliptical. This invention is, moreover, an improved construction over that dis closed in my Patent No. 3,134,530, granted on May 26, 1964, and it aims to provide a simpler, more practical and useful means for attaining quick access to the contents of the container as well as to the drinking straw contained therewithin, as well also as providing an improved tight sealing means for the container.

Referring briefly to the accompanying drawing,

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a container which is rectangular in cross-section, illustrating the operation of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the various parts which are assembled to provide the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the cover of the container of FIG. 1, partly broken away and partly in section, as it appears prior to sealing it on the rim of the container body.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 but showing the straw-carrying tongue in its original position prior to lifting it into the position thereof shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional View taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the invention applied to a container which is circular in cross-section.

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the cover per se of the container of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 6 in normally closed and sealed condition.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

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3,385,561 Patented May 28, 1968 FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 1010 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a container which is elliptical in cross-section, in normally sealed condition, with parts broken away.

Since basically the present invention is applied to the cover alone of the container it may obviously be applied to containers of whatever cross-sectional configuration, as will presently become apparent.

First referring to the square or rectangular container shown in FIGS. 1-5, the container body 10 is shown with its four walls 11. The top circumferential edges of the walls 11 are flared, preferably outward, to provide a flange such as shown at 12. The complementary cover 13 is so dimensioned that its circumferential edge seats on the flange 12.

Spaced equidistantly from a diagonal line of the cover 13 are two cuts or slits 14 which extend from one corner of the cover toward the midportion thereof, preferably but not necessarily as far as the said midportion. These slits are spaced equidistantly from a diagonal line of the cover and define a tongue 15 out free of the body of the cover by the slits, the tongue thus being provided with a tip 16 which, in FIGS. 1-4, is tapered or pointed. The slits 14 may obviously be mutually parallel, as shown, or extend otherwise than mutually parallel.

A strip of thin readily tearable material having the same general shape as the tongue 15 but having a greater width, is shown at 17; the thickness of this strip is magnified in the drawing. The strip may be made of metal foil, plastic or other suitable material. The transverse slit 18, FIG. 2, makes it possible to belly outward the rear portion 19 of the strip 17 into the tubular shape shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the portion 19 having the forward edge 18a, FIG. 3.

Through the loop 19 thus provided, a drinking straw 20, is passed, and the strip 17 is cemented, heat sealed, or otherwise adhered to the underside of the cover in the position shown in FIG. 3 with the two sides 21 of the strip sealing the slits 14. Thus the straw is slidably mounted on the underside of the cover and, more particularly, on the underside of the tongue 15. The cover is finally cemented or otherwise sealed on the flange 12 of the container body.

In order to gain access to the straw and the contents of the container, the consumer can lift the tongue 15 by inserting a knife blade or finger nail in the space between the slightly turned up tip 16 and the flange 12. Since the strip is readily tearable, pulling up the tongue causes the strip to tear along the edges defined by the tongue, the portion of the strip which adheres to the tongue coming up with the tongue. With the tongue lifted, for example into the position shown in FIG. 1, the straw may readily be pulled out of the loop 19 for use in the usual manner. Or, the straw may be only partly pulled out to the extent shown in phantom in FIG. 1 to draw out the contents. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the straw has a length nearly equal to the length of a diagonal of the container cover. The height of the container is such that the length of the straw is suflicient to reach to its bottom, during consumption of the liquid.

FIGS. 6-11 illustrate the same invention as disclosed in FIGS. 15, applied to containers which are circular or elliptical in cross-section. Therefore parts which are identical to parts in FIGS. 1-5 bear identical reference numerals while parts which are equivalent but not identical bear the same reference numerals followed by the suflix b or c.

In the case of the container body 23 of FIG. 6, which is of circular cross-section, the complementary circular cover 24 is secured to a flange 12b thereon in the same manner as previously described for the container of FIGS. 1-5. In this case the tongue b extends along a diameter of the cover and is cut out thereof by slits 14 which extend through the peripheral edge of the cover. Hence the tip 16b is rounded in conformity with the curvature of the cover.

In the case of the elliptical container 25, FIG. 11, the tongue 150 extends along a major axis of the complementary elliptical cover 26, and its tip 160 has the same curvature as that of the cover at the end of the major axis.

The operation of the forms shown in FIGS. 611 is obviously similar to that described with reference to FIGS. 1-5.

Since the term polygonal includes rectangular and square in its broad sense, and since polygons of an even number of sides all have diagonals, it is to be understood that the representation of the container of FIGS. 1-5 as rectangular in cross-section is presented merely as one example of a polygonal container to which the invention may be applied.

Moreover, whether the container is polygonal, circular or elliptical in cross-section is immaterial insofar as the invention is concerned. The basic invention, as is apparent, resides entirely in the construction of the cover, regardless of its cross-sectional configuration. In order that a straw of maximum length may be carried under the cover, the main requirement is that the tongue be positioned along a line which extends through opposite edges of the cover and which passes through the midpoint of the cover. In the case of a polygonal container, such a line is a diagonal. In the case of an elliptical container it is a major axis, while in a circular container it is any diameter.

Beverage containers of the kind herein set forth are most practically made of a plastic material, although other materials or combinations of materials may of course be used where practical.

I claim:

1. A beverage container made of relatively tear-resistant material comprising a body portion and a complementary cover therefor, the cover having two slits therein on opposite sides of and equidistant from a line which extends through opposite edges of the cover and passes through the midpoint of the cover, said slits extending in one direction through one of said opposite edges and in the opposite direction toward the midportion of the cover thereby providing a tongue entirely separated from the remainder of the cover except for the base of the tongue, readily tearable sealing means on the underside of the cover sealing said slits, and a drinking straw releasably secured to the underside of said tongue and positioned in the vertical plane of the tongue.

2. A beverage container according to claim 1, said sealing means comprising a strip of readily tearable material having a tubular loop depending from the rear portion thereof in said vertical plane of the tongue, said straw registering in said loop.

3. A beverage container made of relatively tear-resistant material comprising a body portion and a complementary cover therefor, the cover having two slits therein on opposite sides of and equidistant from a straight line which extends through opposite edges of the cover and passes through the midpoint of the cover, said slits extending in one direction through one of said opposite edges and in the opposite direction toward the midportion of the cover thereby providing a tongue entirely separated from the remainder of the cover except for the base portion thereof, readily tearable sealing means secured to the underside of the cover and sealing said slits, said body portion having a substantially horizontal flange extending from the top edge thereof, said cover having the circumferential edge thereof sealed on said flange.

4. A beverage container according to claim 3, said sealing means comprising a strip of readily tearable material adhered to said cover, said strip having a tubular loop in the rear portion thereof extending downward from said cover in the vertical plane of said tongue, and a drinking straw registering in said loop.

5. A beverage container according to claim 3, having a drinking straw releasably secured to the underside of said tongue.

6. A beverage container according to claim 5, wherein said container body is polygonal in cross-section and said cover is complementarily polygonal, said line constituting a diagonal of the cover.

7. A beverage container according to claim 5, wherein said container body is circular in cross-section and said cover is complementarily circular, said line constituting a diameter of the cover.

8. A beverage container according to claim 5, wherein said container body is elliptical in cross-section, and said cover is complementarily elliptical, said line constituting the major axis of the cover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,082,760 6/1937 Berni.

2,923,948 2/1960 Alden. 3,071,303 1/1963 Pugh 229- 3,134,530 5/1964 Chang.

3,259,297 7/1966 Kalatan 229-7 3,263,855 8/1966 Pugh.

3,268,792 8/1966 Barnherzig.

3,303,984 2/1967 .lurena 229-7 3,3 03,985 2/ 1967 Prokes et al. 229-7 3,325,076 6/1967 Soucy 229-7 DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner. 

